Page 33 of The Blairville Legacies

My mother, who seemed to be enduring it all, pulled one of the wooden chairs out of the dining area and stood on it to get to the smoke detector. In the next instant, the ear-splitting noise died down, and I was able to take my hands away from my ears again.

“My little sensitive baby. Do you want me to get you some earplugs? This one just goes off again and again, even if there is no fire.” How could she pretend it hadn’t just burned? “So don’t get scared if it goes on in the night.”

Laughing, Mum put the chair back.

I still had the beeping in my ear.

Couldn’t she have warned me earlier that the thing was so incredibly loud? And if it woke me up even once, I would personally kick it off the ceiling.

While Mum cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, I sat back at the table to unwillingly read through Vanderwood’s letter.

Dear Miss Adams,

We are hereby pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to our Department of Linguistics for the winter semester and welcome you to the Vanderwood University.

We expect to see you on our campus on September 5th. There, you will be provided with a room that you will share with the following students.

Julie Blair

Emely Copeland

Ruby Sanders

Mode of study: Standard Double Bachelor

Major: Literary Studies (Bachelor of Arts) with 120 credits

Minor: Philosophy (Bachelor of Arts) with 60 credits

Instructors: Basic English (Prof. Alarik Copeland), American Studies: Literature (Prof. Isabella Marten), Literary History (Dr. Prof. Gina George), Ethics (Prof. Alarik Copeland).

If we have made a mistake in the assignment of seminars and lectures, please appear in our Registrar’s Office on September 5th.

You will find your book list and student card, which grants you free access to our library as well as the canteen and sports facilities, in the envelope.

We wish you a successful start to your first semester at Vanderwood University.

Sincerely Regards,

Your Vanderwood University Selection Committee

Wait a minute. I took another look at the list of girls I would be sleeping under the same roof with for an entire six months starting next week. Then, I looked through the list of professors.

Emely Copeland...

“Mum?”

“Yes?”

“Does your doctor, Dr. Copeland, happen to have a daughter and work as a professor at Vanderwood?”

The coincidence made me laugh.

“Yes, quite possibly.” It came hesitantly from my mother. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I’ll be sharing a room with a girl named Emely Copeland, and one of my professors’ last names is Copeland.”

Abruptly, Mum let the pan she had just been scrubbing so vigorously slide into the sink. She came over to me and literally snatched the letter out of my hand. Her expression darkened.

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